History tells us that the city’s earliest incarnation was as a military outpost known as Mayrit which was originally constructed as a means of preventing the Christians from capturing Iberia. When it was finally captured in 1086 by Alonso VI, it had grown to become a medieval village with around 4,000 permanent residents. In the 14th century, Madrid was instated as the seat of the Royal Court while the 15th century saw the city develop into a thriving centre for trade and finance. Around this time Madrid was also instated as the capital of the Spanish Empire while other notable events at the time included the Discovery of the New World by Columbus and the expulsion of the Jews from the area. By the beginning of the next century, at the time that Fernando VII was crowned king, much of the city was in the hands of the church and as a result it saw a period of excessiveness. Later when Queen Isabel II was crowned, more of the city belonged to the state and it was fully restored to its former glory. The beginning of the 20th century saw a new period of parliamentary monarchy in effect as King Alfonso XIII was forced to deal with his country losing its grip on the last of its colonies. Plans to make Madrid a unique and modern city were put into place as traditions were broken and large scale building projects undertaken. In the wake of the war, the city adopted a new enthusiasm for improvement and subsequently saw significant rural expansion and economic growth in the period leading up to the 1960s. Since the 1970s, a steady rate of growth has continued with new buildings constantly being added to the skyline and developments witnessed in all of its key infrastructures. | 
